Games 144-146: Nats at Braves Series Preview

Amidst all the commotion over the Washington Nationals’ controversial decision to shut down ace Stephen Strasburg, John Lannan has quietly resumed business as usual. For the third time this season, Lannan was asked to make a start, and filled in admirably. But with the shutdown of Strasburg, Lannan is no longer simply a fill-in. The crafty lefty is now being counted upon to fill a rather large hole in the Major League’s best starting rotation. His veteran presence will be relied upon as the Nats attempt to clinch their first division title since they moved to Washington. With a sterling 2.41 ERA in his three starts this year, Lannan has proved that he is still a very capable Major League pitcher.

Following their sweep of the New York Mets in New York, the Nationals travel to Atlanta for what may be their most important series thus far in the season. At first glance, the Nationals’ 8.5 game lead over the Braves may look like a secure place to be this late in the season, but one must only look at the historic collapses of the Braves and the Red Sox last September to see how easily a late season collapse can doom a team. Therefore, this series will likely play a large factor in the shaping of the final few weeks.

In the first game of the series on Friday night (7:35pm), fans will be treated with a wonderful pitching matchup. The Nats will send out Ross Detwiler (9-6, 3.23 ERA), and the Braves will counter with Kris Medlen (8-1, 1.64 ERA). As a whole, the Nationals have struggled mightily against Medlen in the past, managing a meager .566 OPS against the promising young starter. The lone standout would be SS Ian Desmond, who in six ABs versus Medlen, has three hits, two of which went for doubles. Detwiler has struggled against the Braves lineup, specifically utility man Martin Prado, who boasts a 1.547 OPS with five doubles in nineteen ABs. The Braves have won the last 19 games that Medlen has started for them. Back on August 22, Detwiler and Medlen dueled it out on the mound in Washington, and Atlanta walked away with a 5-1 victory.

Saturday (4:05pm) will feature Edwin Jackson (9-10, 3.85 ERA) and Tommy Hanson (12-8, 4.35 ERA). While the Nationals have enjoyed only relative success against Tommy Hanson, Michael Morse sports a 1.323 OPS with two homeruns lifetime against Hanson. Edwin Jackson has held Atlanta batters to a meager .212/.306/.322 slash line over his ten year career. In thirteen ABs against Jackson, 2B Dan Uggla remains hitless with six K's.

In the series finale on primetime Sunday Night Baseball (8:05pm), Gio Gonzalez (19-7, 2.93 ERA) will go toe to toe with Mike Minor (8-10, 4.42 ERA). The Nationals have enjoyed good success against Mike Minor in the past as evidenced by their .823 OPS against him. Despite the team’s good success, star 3B Ryan Zimmerman is only 2-for-11 (.539 OPS) with 3 strikeouts versus Minor. Gio Gonzalez has shut down the Braves lineup throughout his career, allowing them only a .224/.350/.373 slash line. Jason Heyward has only a .667 OPS with two career RBI against Gonzalez.

The Nats’ Ryan Zimmerman is currently riding a 16-game hitting streak, as well as a 9-game streak in which he has driven in at least 1 RBI, the longest such streak in Expos/Nationals history. Zimmerman has been on a ridiculously hot tear at the plate since the All-Star Break, boasting a very impressive .341/.408/.598 slash line. When combined with a healthy Jayson Werth that has become an automatic on-base machine, rookie phenom Bryce Harper who is launching a late-season surge to push himself back into Rookie of the Year conversation, a lineup filled with power bats top to bottom, a bench that has been extremely clutch all season, and a stellar bullpen, you are looking at a team built for going deep into October, even without Strasburg.

But you can’t win in October if you don’t make it through September. Even a simple 2-1 series win over Atlanta would push the Nats to a 9.5 game lead with only 13 games remaining on their schedule. Each game has great meaning during this final race to the finish line, and this weekend series against Atlanta will set the tone for the rest of the season for both clubs.